Nu-tri-tion: The process of being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues.
Nutrition and exercise are both important components of an active healthy lifestyle. There is no doubt that what we put into our bodies effects how efficient we function and our overall health. On a survival level, food is our fuel source. Research has made it clearer and clearer that the quantity and quality of food we put in our bodies has clear ramifications for our well being. Research suggests that getting nutrients from whole food sources-real fruits and vegetables-is much better than supplementing them with specific isolated vitamins. The United States Food and Drug Administration, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Heart Association that we eat at least 5-9 servings of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables every day for better health. Less than 10% of American adults eat at least 5 servings of fresh raw fruits and vegetables a day.
At The Center for Functional Fitness, you will be embarking on a new commitment to your health. If you are currently not eating in a healthy fashion consistent with the recommendations of the Food and Drug Administration, then information regarding nutrition may be of significant benefit to you. Do your current nutritional habits support the demands you place on your body? Modifying what you eat can be extremely beneficial. Most of our diets provide substandard nutritional benefit and may not adequately support your changing level of fitness. Over time, a poor diet can have a negative impact on your overall health, and may increase your odds of developing heart disease, vascular disease, and cancer.
We know that exercise is beneficial to the body for a number of reasons. Exercise creates a strain on our bodies and creates nutritional demands as we burn more fuel and begin to push ourselves physically. When we exercise, we burn fuel (fats and carbohydrates) which release energy that we can use to power our muscles, tissues and organs. Burning fuel in the body can be likened to burning a log for heat. The word burning means a reaction with oxygen. As wood burns, smoke is released. When we burn sugar and fat, free radicals (our bodies smoke) are released into our system. One of the by products of fat burning is a release of free radicals. When we burn food for energy, free radicals, such as peroxides are produced. Free radicals are missing an electron which they search for and steal from perfectly healthy molecules in your body. The daily bombardment of your cells by these free radicals can over time break down your body.This is what we call oxidative stress Free radicals can damage the body unless neutralized by antioxidants. Antioxidants are found in fruits and vegetables. These substances attach to the free radicals and neutralize their harmful effects. The higher your activity level, the greater the oxidative stress. It is very important to match this high level of oxidative stress with the antioxidants we get from eating healthy.
Fruits and vegetables provide antioxidants that help minimize oxidative stress. Plants produce antioxidants to protect them from free radical damage due to radiation from the sun. Since we do not similarly produce our own antioxidants, we must get them from ingesting fruits and vegetables. The effects of a few well known antioxidants such as vitamin C and E, and beta-carotene have been well researched, butt here are thousands of different antioxidants in a given plant. Scientists are beginning to find that these antioxidants work together in ways and combinations that are still not well understood.
The most effective way to supply your body with antioxidants is to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are excellent, nutrient dense (full of vitamins and minerals) foods that proved a whole orchestra of antioxidants. It is important to eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables in a wide array of colors in order to get the full spectrum of antioxidant protection.
The Center for Functional Fitness Mission is to provide you with a wide array of information which should help you improve your health. A formal exercise routine is the foundation of our approach. In addition we would like to share with you information that may help you improve the nutritional value of your diet.
Juice Plus
Good nutrition is important to good health and eating plenty of fresh, raw fruits and vegetable every day is critical to good nutrition. Researchers continue to find elements in fruits and vegetables that seem to strengthen our immune systems impede the development of disease, and contribute to good health in many other ways.
Juice Plus+® is a convenient way to add more nutrition from fresh raw fruits and vegetables in to your diet. Juice Plus® is a whole food based supplement, made from a variety of nutritious fruits and vegetables. It is not a synthetic vitamin, it is not highly processed, and it is not a fragmented multi-vitamin. It provides a wide variety of naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, but also phytochemicals, antioxidants, active enzymes, chlorophyll, and other nutrients found in the fresh, raw fruits and vegetables it’s made from. Juice Plus® provides a wide variety of nutritional elements that work together to provide you more of the nutritional benefits of eating healthy whole foods.
Juice Plus ® is made from the freshest, highest quality fruits and vegetables which are carefully tested to ensure no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. Theses fruits and vegetables are juiced, to extract their nutritional essence, and then reduced to a powder. This process is monitored to ensure that the natural ingredients are never exposed to the high temperatures that destroy so much of the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables (like when they are cooked excessively). Most of the active plant food enzymes and other vital nutrients found in fresh fruits and vegetables remain intact. Juice Plus® is the next best thing to eating fresh, raw fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin and mineral supplements, to include Juice Plus®, are no substitute for actually eating raw fruits and vegetables, but how many people actually eat the proper variety and amounts recommended? Just two Orchard blend capsules in the morning and two Garden blend capsules at night provide you with the Vitamin C of 4 oranges, the Beta-Carotene of 3 raw carrots, and more Vitamin E than several servings of spinach and broccoli plus all the other vitamins and minerals and antioxidants found in the fruits and vegetables that this product is made from.
Juice Plus+® is backed by independent scientific research:
The Journal of Therapeutic Research, 1996.
Investigators found that daily use of Juice Plus+® significantly increased blood plasma levels of key antioxidants after only 28 days. Juice Plus+® also reduced serum lipid peroxides, a key indicator of oxidative stress, by 75% overall. In a third of the subjects, serum lipid peroxide levels were undetectable after using the product.
The Journal of Integrative Medicine, 1999
A study done at the University of Arizona found that after 80 days of daily consumption of Juice Plus+® , there were increased levels of antioxidant nutrients which led to an improvement in several markers of immune system function in an elderly population.
Nutrition Research, 1999
A Brigham Young University study analyzed DNA from white blood cells and found that after 80 days on Juice Plus+®, there was a reduced susceptibility to DNA damage in elderly subjects by an average of 66%.
The Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2000
A study performed at King’s College in London found that after seven days on Juice Plus+®, key antioxidants were absorbed by the body, and lipid peroxidation was reduced.
The Journal of Nutrition, 2003
In a double blind, placebo controlled cross over study, researchers at the University of Sydney analyzed the effect of Juice Plus+® on the levels of homocysteine, an amino acid produced by the body that often accumulates to unhealthy levels when nutritional status is compromised. The research showed the elevate levels of homocysteine in the blood correlates significantly to poor cardiovascular health. The study showed significant increases in antioxidant levels in subjects taking Juice Plus+®. They also found a reduction in homocysteine levels in the subjects taking Juice Plus+®. The researches concluded that even in the absence of dietary modification, Juice Plus+® produced responses consistent with improved cardiovascular health.
Nutrition Research, 2003
Investigators in Foggia, Italy found that daily use of Juice Plus+® for four weeks increased folate and decreased homocysteine levels in the subjects.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2003
In a double blind, placebo controlled investigation, researchers at the university of Maryland found that Juice Plus+® helps reduce vascular constriction and can reduce the adverse impact of a high fat meal.
The Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2004
A randomized double blind, placebo controlled cross over research study conducted at the Medical University of Vienna found that Juice Plus+®, when compared to a placebo increased plasma levels of important antioxidant nutrients and folate.
There are three types of Juice Plus® Capsules available to you:
Orchard Blend®: It is made from apples, acerola cherries, cranberries, oranges, papayas, peaches, and pineapples. It also contains soluble and insoluble fibers.
Garden Blend®: It is made from beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, kale, parsley, spinach and tomatoes.
Vineyard Blend®: It is made from nine varieties of berries and grapes. These include blueberries, blackberries, bilberries, raspberries, cranberries, elderberries, black currants, red currants, and Concord grapes.
Juice Plus Thins:
Thins are a natural dietary food supplement that helps reduce hunger, increases fat metabolism and boosts energy. Juice Plus Thins are great tasting wafers containing a combination of natural ingredients:
Fruit powders and extract including malabar tamarind fruit extract, hawthorne berry powder, and grape juice solids. Malabar tamarind (garcinia cambogia) is a species of the citrus family and enhances the body’s ability to burn fat and helps naturally reduce hunger.
AbsorbaLean™: A matrix of plant fibers and extracts which work by absorbing dietary fat from the body and bloodstream and passing from the system.
A special plant based enzyme blend.
A blend of nutritional chromium: Chromium is beneficial for normal insulin function and promotes healthy levels of glucose. Since insulin regulates blood sugar levels and fat storage, chromium helps minimize energy fluctuations and reduces food cravings.
A carefully blended balance of soluble and insoluble dietary fibers.
Juice Plus+® Complete:
A whole food based beverage product which offers balance nutrition in every scoop. It is an all natural and non-dairy powder which contains Juice Plus+® fruit and vegetable powder, along with a blend of other foods and nutrients. Ingredients include a simple and complex blend of carbohydrates, a vegetable protein blend (which includes soy and tofu), and land and sea mineral source. Juice Plus+® Complete contains 24 mg of isoflavones from soy protein, which are important for women’s health.
This whole food beverage product can be used as a pre-exercise and post-exercise recovery drink. It mixes with almost anything. Add a scoop of Juice Plus+® Complete to one cup of skim milk, soy milk, rice mild, fresh juice, or cold water. For added nutrition and variety, blend with additional wholesome ingredients such as berries, yogurt and other fruits and vegetables.
Is there any scientific proof that Juice Plus+® really works?
- Considerable research shows that diets high in grains, fruits, and vegetables are associated with lower rates of certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, and several other types of degenerative disease
- Many Americans do not eat the recommended number of servings
- Epidemiologic studies have found that these diseases are associated with low blood levels of certain phytonutrients
- An NSA-sponsored study of 15 healthy individuals found that supplementation with Juice Plus+ for 28 days raised the blood levels of five phytonutrients: beta-carotene, alpha carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, lycopene, and vitamin E. The study found, for example, that beta-carotene levels were five times as high and lycopene levels were 20 times as high.
Recent medical research has yielded some very interesting results regarding Juice Plus. In one study, 15 adults consumed regular doses of Juice Plus for 28 days. Blood levels of antioxidants (substances that protect against cancer and heart disease) increased dramatically: beta-carotene 500%; alpha-carotene 120%; lutein/zeaxanthin/ tocopherol 50%; lycopene 2000%. Lipid peroxide (an indicator of poor metabolism) decreased four-fold. Another study, in which 46 adults consumed regular doses of Juice Plus for 80 days, not only yielded similar increases in antioxidant levels but also demonstrated enhanced functioning of parts of the immune system that help protect against multiple cancers and infectious diseases. This study also showed a three-fold decrease in the level of cellular DNA damage, which correlates with a decrease in the effects of aging and risk of cancer and chronic illness.
